The present invention relates to a set of surgical tools and to a method of using same and, more particularly, to novel punch hook and crochet hook for connecting soft bone parts to one another or to a connective tissue.
A ligament is a band of strong connective tissue serving to connect bones or hold organs in place. A tendon is a cord or band of strong connective tissue serving to connect a muscle with a bone. Both are referred to herein as "connective tissue".
Certain medical conditions are characterized in that a ligament or a tendon detaches or partly detaches from a long bone to which it is operatively connected. In such conditions, it is essential to operatively reconnect the ligament or tendon to the bone from which it has detached.
Other medical conditions are characterized in fractures formed in the terminal, soft parts, of long bones, i.e., at the bone metaphisa or epiphisa portions. In such conditions it is essential to reconnect the fractured bone parts.
Presently, the best mode of reconnecting a detached ligament (or tendon) to its associated long bone or reconnecting fractured soft bone parts is via a suture. One option involves implanting hooks into the bone or fractured bone parts and engaging the suture thereto via the implanted hooks. Another and preferred option involves forming tunnels in the bone or bone parts, through which tunnels the suture is inserted via a crochet hook.
Forming tunnels in the bone or bone parts is effected, according to the prior art, by drilling. This, however, results in loss of bone material and in tunnels of large diameter which weaken the bone or fractured bone parts. In addition, prior art crochet hooks are designed to operate in a single direction, i.e., pulling the suture through the tunnel, however, their design does not permit to push the suture through the channel. This is very limiting especially in cases of minimal invasive operations because, while operated, the crochet hook has to be inserted into the body of the patient through different portals at different stages of the operational procedure to enable the operator to always be able to pull the suture.
There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, a punch hook, a crochet hook and a surgical method for connecting soft bone parts to one another or to connective tissue devoid of the above limitations.